1. Field
The present disclosure relates to friction reducing elements and assemblies for hanging devices, particularly devices used to hang garments and personal accessories.
2. Description of Related Art
Positioning garments and personal accessories hung on a conventional wire, plastic, wood, or metal hanger is often difficult for certain persons and under certain situations. For example, persons having limited upper body strength and disabled persons may find it difficult to slide hangers positioned on a rod. Moreover, heavy garments, such as winter coats and suits, are often difficult to position on a rod when hung on conventional hangers, even for persons without disabilities.
Hooks of conventional hangers can deform over time. Depending on the material of manufacture, conventional wire hanger hooks, in particular, can bend and conform to the shape of the clothing rod. As a result, the level of friction increases during positioning of hooks along the bar. Similarly, conventional plastic hangers can develop one or more areas of deformation or bends that can also make positioning items on a rod particularly difficult. Users of conventional hangers, therefore, encounter significant frictional resistance, when attempting to position hanger hooks along a rod.
Various products have been proposed to alleviate the difficulty of positioning garments and personal accessories hung on hangers. Although suitable for their intended purpose, each has limitations. Many of these limitations are due, in part, to the product's inability to withstand stress variations placed on hanger hooks.
A class of proposed products uses a thermoplastic roller positioned on a hanger hook. One such product in this class may include a roller formed from a thin flat strip of plastic material. The flat strip may be formed to provide a generally cylindrical roller conforming to the shape of a wire hanger, and the roller may be snap-fitted over a portion of a hanger hook. Another product may include a thermoplastic molded roller having a concave outer surface and mounted to the upper portion of a hanger hook using a bracket. Rollers in such products may be intended to accommodate rods of different sizes and lessen lateral forces required to move heavy items placed on hangers.
Unfortunately, positioning difficulty still arises with use of these types of rollers because they are manufactured from thermoplastic materials. Like conventional plastic hangers, these rollers may be prone to develop one or more areas of deformation over time, making garment positioning difficult. Such areas of deformation may create lasting flat spots in the rolling surfaces, causing uneven rolling during positioning. The deformation and resulting uneven rolling may be analogous to a hard rubber automobile tire left stationary for a long period. Under these circumstances, a tire may develop an area of deformation that appears flat, causing deformation and uneven rolling that increases rolling resistance and vibration.
In view of the limitations of these and other similar products, there is a clear need for improved friction reducing elements for hanging devices. The present invention fulfills this need and provides further related advantages, as described in the following summary.